Ever since the first attempts to record music in the 19th century, music and technology have marched forward hand-in-hand, as listeners and labels have demanded ever-higher quality playback. If the ultimate aim is to break down all barriers between the studio and the listeners’ home, then hi-res sound gets us even closer than ever before.

The CD, for all its extraordinary sonic capabilities as a format and a development which revolutionised the recording industry, wasn’t the last word in sound; as our Audio Editor Andrew Everard explains in his fascinating exploration of the topic over the page, the technology behind high-resolution music simply allows for more information to reach the listener. Andrew then recommends some equipment which enables you to best make the most of the technology.

But then, when you’ve chosen your format, and bought and installed your equipment, comes the very reason for why you’ve done both: the music itself. Every month, our Audio Editor selects one album from my Editor’s Choices which really serves as a brilliant example of what high-resolution sound can achieve. We’ve gathered together 20 of these recordings, and reproduced the full reviews, but also Andrew’s specific ref lections on the sound quality achieved through high-resolution files. We hope you enjoy them – and if you want to share Andrew’s experience, every one of his choices is available from our media partner Qobuz, a streaming service which has a long demonstrated that a commitment to the best quality of recorded sound lies at its heart – simply click each sleeve to be taken straight through to the Qobuz website.

I hope you enjoy this special digital magazine, and don’t forget that every month in Gramophone you can read about both the latest audio developments in our monthly section devoted to technology and Hi-Fi and, of course, about the very best recordings being released by the world’s greatest artists, reviewed by our panel of world-leading experts. Martin Cullingford Editor, Gramophone gramophone.co.uk | GRAMOPHONE MAY 2018 3